Puerto Rican Institution Casa Adela Negotiating New Lease Deal Following Community Protest [UPDATED]

After a staggering proposed rent hike drove Puerto Rican cornerstone Casa Adela into a public battle to stave off eviction, it appears as though the local institution is coming close to an agreement that would allow the restaurant to stay put, although the official lease has not been finalized, according to EVGrieve.

The future of Casa Adela — a beloved community gathering spot founded by late matriarch Adela Fargas, known for her famed rotisserie chicken — was thrown into uncertainty late last year when the building’s landlords proposed a rent increase that would raise the restaurant’s payments over time from $1,350 per month to an untenable $6,750 per month. After the news broke, residents rallied around the restaurant and created a Save Casa Adela Committee to help draw support to the space. The committee is also advocating to get the corner of East Fifth Street and Loisaida Avenue co-named after Fargas.

Update, February 14, 1:20 p.m.: This story originally stated that Casa Adela had signed a new, two-year lease, according to a report in EVGrieve. The website has since updated its post to reflect that negotiations are still ongoing and the lease deal is not finalized. Eater has reached out to the restaurant for more information.

Forever Jerk settles down at a new spot in the Bronx

One of the city’s top destinations for smoky jerk chicken has moved its charcoal grills to a new location in the Bronx, at the corner of East 233rd Street and Webster Avenue. Forever Jerk can be found there from Tuesdays through Sundays, according to an Instagram post announcing the move.

Famed nightclub returns to Hell’s Kitchen

Nightlife icon Copacabana reopened at a new location in Hell’s Kitchen over the weekend, according to W42St.com. The famed club shut down its most recent location in Times Square during the pandemic, in May 2020. The reopening was heralded by plenty of salsa dancing and one on-stage marriage proposal, W42St.com reports.

An Open Street disappears and then reappears in Brooklyn

Gothamist unravels a strange incident that happened late last week regarding the Willoughby Avenue Open Street in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. The Department of Transportation left Open Streets caretakers in shock when they yanked the street out of commission by removing signs and barricades. But within hours, Mayor Eric Adams reversed the move, according to Gothamist. The DOT has called the action a miscommunication, and the mayor’s office didn’t provide further details on who ordered the shutdown of the Open Street.